Searching for the Big Five at Kruger National Park

When visiting game parks, we've found that even if we travel the same roads, there's something new to be seen each day. Our third day in Kruger proved to be the most exciting. We were up and checked out of our hut by 0530. It had rained hard during the night and the morning was overcast and cool. It was our last day in the park,and we were hoping to spot some new animals, though honestly, we never tire of zebras and giraffes. Our luck was good. We had barely cleared the Skukuza Camp gates when three spotted hyena trotted out of the bush beside the car. They seemed undaunted by our presence and went about their business. The threesome were apparently searching for a breakfast opportunity or perhaps a place for a snooze after a tiring night of hunting. We were surprised by their size ... and their bad posture.

A short distance down the road, giraffes, about ten of them, popped into view above the trees, actually eating the tops of the trees affording us a better view. Helmeted guinea fowl scurried along the side the road and a small herd of impala loped gracefully alongside us, the young calves kicking up their heels and jumping high in apparent joy as they ran.

Everyone who visits an African game park, even locals, hope to spot the Big Five: elephant, buffalo, rhino, lion and leopard. The first three are almost guaranteed, and though lions are a bit more scarce, there's a good chance of seeing them as well. All four of these animals are diurnal and easy to spot. The leopard, however, is a nocturnal hunter, secretive and elusive, especially  during the day. We'd spotted four of the Big Five in Kruger, but had little hope of seeing a leopard on our last day.

We noted a couple of cars stopped beside the road with a view of the Sabie River. David spotted  a freshly killed impala in the crook of a large tree, the night's work of a leopard.

Surely the leopard was close by. We had an outstanding vantage point and plenty of time. David shut off the engine and we waited. More and more cars stopped . Some waited for a few minutes and left. About a half hour into our vigil, David spotted some slight movement in a grassy thicket near the river's edge. The leopard approached warily and settled down on the sand. We had an obscured view, but good enough for a photo ... definitely the leopard. Wow!

Cars came and went. Safari trucks, full of tourists with mega-telephoto lenses extending out the windows, stopped briefly, but they had schedules to keep, of course, and moved on.

We waited and chatted quietly. I wrote for awhile. We reasoned that the leopard would eventually be hungry enough to return to its prey. We watched a yellow-billed kite land and eye the situation. He inched closer and closer. Perhaps, he saw the leopard, because he flew away suddenly.

We hoped the leopard would return before our bladders gave out. He didn't. We drove up the road a few miles for a pee break and returned to see all the same cars still waiting. It was after 10am, the chances of the leopard returning in the sunshine, so long after the kill, weren't good. We moved on.

We crossed the Sabie River on a causeway thick with baboons. They were in front of us and behind us. They were everywhere. We dared not open the window as they approached us from all directions.

We watched in fascination as the females brazenly walked out right in front of us, babies riding on their backs.

As we cleared the causeway, there was an all-out traffic jam, as the baboons mingled with a huge herd of impalas. This was a traffic jam we didn't complain about.

We made our way south to the Lower Sabie Camp, then slowly west in the park heading for the Numbi Gate. The day remained cool and overcast and our luck with spotting animals continued. A beached hippo waddled up from the river and lay in the sand.

We spotted a curiosity of dwarf mongooses (another fine collective noun) on a gravel road and took a few minutes to watch them. They were busy little guys, traipsing back and forth in front of us. Their whistling reminded us a bit of prairie dogs in Colorado. So how come it's mongooses and not mongeese? Just wondering.

Though we'd seen all types of antelopes … impala, kudu, waterbuck, steenbok and nyala … we'd yet to see a klipspringer, and then of course, one appeared and posed ever so patiently for photos.

More elephants, more buffalos, more giraffes, more zebras … they all came out to bid us farewell. We approached the Numbi exit gate with reluctance. Though it would be great to linger in Kruger for awhile longer, it was time to start thinking of heading back to Nine of Cups.

It'll take a couple of days to get home. You know us, we're not fast travelers. Join us tomorrow as we head to a Ndebele cultural village.

Birds, Baboons, Buffalos...and more at Kruger National Park

Staying overnight in the camp allowed us the advantage of an early gate opening at 0430. In reality, this ended up being just a bit too early. It was still too dark for photos as we drove out of the gate. No matter … we took our time, stopped for tea and rusks at a little lay-by and watched the sun come up.

We were taking a northern route today crossing into several different eco-zones of savanna, thickets and bushveld. The causeway across the Sabie River was busy with Chacma baboons. Baboons can be a real nuisance, but these guys were just waking up like us and though they impeded traffic a bit, they were fun to watch.

We hadn't gone too far when we spotted buffalos in a mudhole. They, too, were having problems keeping their eyes open. It must have been a rough night.

We purchased a paperback book, Find It, at the Skukuza camp store and it proved to be quite helpful. It  described all the eco-zones in the park, as well as indicating what animals we were apt to find in each one. It also provided several color photos of the area and identified animals and plants ... from umbrella acacia to jacanas to jackals. We had an African bird book and our Lonely Planet South Africa along with us, too.

It was an exceptionally good day for birds. We saw dozens of them with several new species. Here's a sampling …

We stopped for a picnic lunch and an elephant joined us, munching on a nearby tree.

The thickets were a fine place for rhinos. We saw a pair taking a leisurely walk some distance away from us.

The open savanna offered great grazing for zebra.

Giraffes weren't far away. We saw several munching on tall trees and shrubs. A lone male traveled across the bush, apparently uninterested in the others.

By 4pm, we were hot and tired and tuckered out. We headed back to Skukuza Camp for showers, a light dinner in our hut and a walk around the pretty campgrounds.

We ended the evening with a nightcap of Amarula, South Africa's primo cream liqueur. When in Rome ...

Kruger National Park - South Africa's Crown Jewel

We were up extra early. We were anxious to be on our way and get to Kruger. The park gates open at 0530 in the summer and we only missed it by an hour. (Marcie was dilly-dallying around with last minute internet!) We drove over the cattle guard, saw the welcome sign and proceeded across the Crocodile River on a narrow causeway. We were in Kruger National Park.

We had no sooner paid our fees, bought our park map and decided on a route when a confusion of crazy-looking helmeted guinea fowl crossed our path. (Great collective noun for guinea fowl, huh?) Then a blue wildebeest sauntered into view, grazing as he walked. Then the traffic began.

Just as we had feared … 0730 and already traffic was backed up. Whatever could be the problem so early? We looked ahead as far as we could see, but the road was jammed in both directions. David looked in his side-view mirror. “Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear.” A lioness was beside the car. She walked determinedly up the road a short distance with little regard for the stopped cars, then flopped down, as cats sometimes do, to take a rest.

Up ahead, we saw three more females walking down the middle of the road midst the jammed-up cars. We remained at loggerheads for another 30 minutes while the lions preened and yawned. They finally headed off into the bush, but not before we spotted the male watching the performance from a distance. We weren't complaining about the traffic any longer.

Amazing, colorful birds flitted around from bush to bush and tree to tree. We were especially impressed with the lilac-breasted roller. They were abundant and after spotting one, we saw them frequently.

Big and little animals crossed the road before us, throwing caution to the wind. Millipedes (yuck!), leopard tortoises, dung beetles … we even saw a huge land snail sliming his way across the pavement. We were on their turf and despite their size and, in some cases relative disgusting-ness, David did his best to avoid hitting them.

Impalas, perhaps the most common animal in the park, were everywhere. Sometimes they'd spring out of a thicket or be laying in the middle of the road. At times there were fifty or more of them and other times, a buck would be grazing on his own. They were cautious and jumpy. Predators were everywhere.

Gravel roads criss-crossed the park. The going was usually quite slow with ruts and potholes to maneuver and/or avoid. We bumped along at a snail's pace. We might see several animals in an hour and we might see no animals at all for long stretches. The terrain varied as we progressed through the park into bio-diverse ecosystems. Even when there were no animals to view, there was bird life, flowers, trees and scenery to take in. It was never dull. We picnicked along the way at park picnic areas or just along some deserted stretch of road, always mindful that carnivorous animals might not be far away.

A little background on Kruger … Established in 1898 to protect South African wildlife, Kruger became South Africa's first national park in 1926 and is the crown jewel of the South African national park system. The park encompasses nearly five million acres and is a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies. The park is home to an extraordinary and diverse array of flora and fauna species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals.

We ended our day around 5pm, heading to the Skukuza Rest Camp. Skukuza is big with lots of huts, but we found it just fine for in-park accommodations. It was a bit rustic and dated, but the rooms were clean and adequate. There were also a few other perks like a restaurant with outside seating and great views of the river, a lovely gift shop/mini-supermarket and, oh yes, free internet.

We were tuckered out and after a cold beer at the restaurant, we retired to our little hut. Vervet monkeys were chasing banded mongoose all around the grounds and it was a comical sight to behold. After a light supper which we'd  brought along with us, we checked the map to make plans for tomorrow's route. We dozed off with the night sounds of wild animals around us.